Improvement in game apparatus



D. n.4 Da cosTA,j Game'Apparatu.

` Patented Jah. 19; 1875.

UNITED STATES EPIOE.

DAVID E. DA oOs'TA, OE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIeNOE To EEBEOOAM.DA OosTA, OLIVIA DA* OosrA, AND ALTAMONT DA oosTA,

OF SAME PLACE.

` IMPROVEMENT IN GAME APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 158,918, dated January19, 1875; application iled `August 28, 1,874.

To'all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID R. DA CosTA, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia and the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Apparatus for Games; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a clear and exact description of the nature thereof,sufficient to enable others skilled in the artto which my inventionappertains to fully understand, make, and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification, in

Figure 1 is a perspective View or diagragm illustratingv the operationofthe game. Fig. 2 is a top view of one of the implements of the game.Fig. 3 is a diametric section in line w m, Fig. 2.

` Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts intheseveral figures.

My invention consists in a game apparatus, the essential features ofwhich are a series ot' quoit-like disks, termed quoitets, and wickets,and a liberty-pole. It further consists in the construction of the saidquoit-like disks, or quoitets whereby they may be most readilymanipulated, and the grass will not be cut or the lawn disgured orinjredin any way.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a series of wickets, four innumber, which are to be driven in the ground or stood upright, andarranged in the form of a square. B represents what is termed theliberty-pole, which is located at a point centrally between the wicketsA. C represents what are termed quoitets, of which Various numbers maybeemployed. These quoitets are made of light materials, preferablystamped or struck up of a disk of suitable material, with a centralopen'- ing, a, and a convex or rounded bottom, l.

It is evident that when the quoitets strike the grass, lawn, carpet, oriioor, the rounded bottom of the former prevents cutting, mutilating, orotherwise injuring the latter.

In the game the terms used and the explanation thereof are as follows:

Quoit--To throw.

. Quoitet--The rings that each player quoits or throws to encircle thewickets and libertypole. y

Wickets-The four corner poles, numbered 1 2, 3, 4.

Liberty-Pole-The center pole, which will be painted preferably red,white, and blue.

Pole or Poling-To quoit or throw the quoitets to encircle a wicket orthe liberty-pole.

Shackle or Shackled-An adversary at the start of the game polingquoitets .that count the same number as that poled by the other player.

Trip-To pole all ones quoitets on a wicket without missing any, thisgiving the player thirty points.

Quoit Tier-To pole all ones quoitets on the liberty-pole withoutmissing, this giving the player fifty points.

Slip or Slipping-To miss poling a quoitet,

which gives ones adversaries a count relatively to color, as follows:red, six; white, four; blue, two. To miss or slip the set successively,the loss is iifteen points.

Range Quoit or Ranger-A quoitet that falls within range of a certaindistance from the liberty-pole or wicket, which is measured vby agage-stick, and a number of points allowed for each color quoitet,according to the distance from the pole or wicket as marked out on agage-rule accompanying the game. Quoitets falling or rolling beyond the`extent of gage count nothing.

Round of Wickets.-Each player tries to quoit his quoitets on the otherwickets-i. c., No. 1 on No. 2. No.2 on No. 3, No. 3 on No. 4, and No. 4on No. 1-and continues from one wicket to the other, until each playeris in po- The rules and regulations of the game are K as follows:

To qnoit correctly, the quoitet must be so handled that the rounded sideor bottom thereof falls to the earth or ground.

First. Each couple (or partners) are supplied with three -quoitets-ared, white, and blue.

To prevent mistakes each set is numbered No. 1 and No.` 2, so as toenable the players to understand whose quoitets are poled at any periodof the game.

Second. The players station themselves thus: A and B, partners, standdiagonally opposite each other at their wickets, and play with No. 1 setof quoitets; C and D, partners. also take their position in like manner,and play with No. 2 set.

Third. Theliberty-pole (red, white, and blue) is the starting-point. Theplayers now get behind their wickets, and in rotation quoit theirquoitets, one at a time, at the liberty-pole, to encircle it, and theplayer who makes the highest count from the number poled gains the leadto start the game, and is entitled to No. 1

I set of quoitets and to No. 1 wicket, his partner to No. 3 wicket, andadversaries to No. 2 and No. 4; but should all the players fail to polea quoitet on the liberty-pole, to decide the lead they must resort tothe highest number made by slips and rangers, (all of which are recordedas soon as made by each player.)

Fourth. The player who gains the lead takes his (or her) station at theliberty-pole, and tries to quoit (throw) his quoitets over his ownwicket, to encircle it. If he fails to pole all of them, his adversariescount fifteen points for the slip, (missin g,) or at the following ratesshould any of them be poled: six for missing the red, four for missin-gthe white, and two for missing the blue. The other players also quoitfrom the liberty-pole to their wickets, according to rotation of theirnumbers; but should it happen that an adversary shackles your poling(counting the same) when playing at the liberty-pole at the start ofthegame, your partner and his partner will have to quoit for the lead byplaying from their 'wickets to you, (the party who was shackled,) leadoi by trying to quoit your quoitets over your own wicket, and should yousucceed irrpoling any, add the number for each color poled to that madeat the time you were shackled. Your adversary does the same, recovershis count (or number) which shackled you, and receives all the sameadvantages, and subject to the forfeits or gains allowed for slipping,&c. The

other players follow in order, and quoit from the liberty-pole to theirown wicket in rotation.

Fifth. The players return to their respective stations, (A to No. 1, hispartner B to No.

3,' Gto No. 2, and D to No. 4,) and proceed to play a round of wickets,as follows: A, No. 1, tries to pole No. 2 wicket; C, No. 2, tries topole No. 3 wicket; B, No. 3, tries to pole No. 4 wicket; D, No. 4, triesto pole No. l wicket, each side counting the number they gain, accordingto rates laid down for slips, quoit tier, trips, range quoits, andpoling. The round of wickets'completed, the players recover theirquoitets, and from their wickets quoit at the liberty-pole. When allhave played, count the number each side has registered, and the highestnumber made wins the game.

Sixth. Partners do not shackle each other. Every score made or lostcounts for the respective sides, according to the rates laid down.

The game may be played with double corners, so as to accommodate eightplayers. In

this case each corner can either pole their quoitets twice, or they canmake two rounds, (one rst of four players, and the other set after;) thelatter would be the best. Of course it will be one set of four playersplaying against the other four.

A register may be employed for keeping count of the game, a suitableform of which is shown at D in Fig. 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, isl l. The game apparatus herein described,consisting of the stamped or dish-shaped quoitets C, the series ofwickets A, and the libertypole B, all adapted and arranged to operatesubstantially iu the manner and for the purpose set forth.

2. The quoitet C,n1ade of a stamped or struckup disk, and with a roundedbottom, b, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

D. R. DA COSTA.

Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, A. P. GRANT.

